Never Close
by LewisHobsonFan
Summary: Okay, I know I should go on with my other story but this idea got to my mind weeks ago and since the last weekend it wouldn t leave me so I had to write it down and thought that I could also already start posting it. It s about how you deal with fate. As always I don t own any of the characters and quotes I use nor do I have permission to do so. I just write for the fun of it!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

He recognised her the moment she left the building although he had never seen her before. But seeing her now he knew he would have recognised her everywhere.

As he was standing in a group of Japanese tourists taking pictures of the New Scotland Yard Building he took them as cover and made some close-up views of her and then followed her and her colleagues on the other side of the road.

They didn´t go far just to a nearby pub and putting the camera away he entered there too and tried to observe her without being noticed. He took a seat at the bar while the group of four took one of the booths opposite him.

It looked like they were just sharing a quick pint after work as after 45 min they went out again and all went different ways.

He followed her and managed to do that quite well as she never turned until she arrived at her flat after a tube ride to Chalk Farm.

Knowing now where she lived he turned and took the tube back to his hotel. He would mail the photos to his father and see what he wanted him to do next.

* * *

Barbara opened the door to her flat turning around but there was nobody. Somehow she had this feeling that someone had followed her like she had during this case at the Houses of Parliament. There her feeling had been right but now there was nobody at all.

They had just closed a case and she wasn´t looking forward to the weeks ahead. Tommy would go to Cornwall tomorrow to overview the first two weeks with the new Estate Manager and they were left with all the dreadful paperwork.

So it was only right that he had paid for the drinks tonight. Thinking that the next two weeks would be totally dull and long she went in for a long hot bath and an early night.

She couldn´t have been more wrong!

 _ **A/N: I know it is quite short for a beginning but it is how this story starts. I hope you will enjoy reading it as I enjoy writing it!**_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

She really was a wimp, there she was with her boss only one day away and she already missed him. Seeing that this long day in the office without any quarrelling with the DI was as good as over she refused Winston´s invitation for a drink and went home thinking that she needed to get a life.

Doing some window shopping on the way she turned around and bumped into a young man. Cursing she bend down to pick up her bag only to notice that he had already got it and was handing it to her: "I´m really sorry, I should look where I go, Miss! I hope you´re not hurt." He was smiling at her apologetically.

Confused Barbara took another look as the guy looked somehow familiar but she couldn´t place him. "Yeah, thanks everything is fine. How about you?"

He smiled again: "I´m okay too. Would you allow me to invite you for a drink to excuse me gaucheness?"

As she had no other plans and perhaps to convince herself that she had a life she agreed and to her total astonishment she really enjoyed it.

They went to a nearby pub for a beer and talked about their works, Liam that was his name was a solicitor but also worked for the family farm and was in London not only for a client matter but also for a creative fair to sell the fabrics his family tweed mill in Scotland produced. They also used the wool of their own sheep so they were agricultural and in the tweed business.

It all sounded interesting and her thoughts only once wandered off to her boss and his Estate in Cornwall. They also had still a lot of agriculture there.

Liam was easy to listen to and he also was interested in her work and asked a lot of questions about the MET.

After the first pint they also ordered something to eat and Barbara was more than surprised when it was already 10 pm when they left the pub.

"Thanks for this nice evening. Better get home now as I have to be at work early tomorrow morning," She said trying to suppress a yawn.

"Yes, it was really nice and I enjoyed it immensely. Here is my card perhaps we can meet again before I have to go up North again," Liam said when they parted and Barbara went home feeling that there really was a life out there and that it sometimes came to you in the oddest of places and moments.

 _ **A/N: I´m sorry about any sleepless nights, I thought I gave already away enough with the frist chapter, but I guess that is becasue I know where I will go with this story :). Thanks for the reviews and here comes already the next chapter, quite fast for me :)**_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

On the next morning nothing happened at work and as it was Friday Barbara decided to call it a day at noon as she had enough over hours at all.

She would go home and then perhaps call Liam to see if he had time tonight for a drink. If not she would stay home and call Lynley to see how it was going at Howenstowe. Until now she only had received a text that he had arrived safe and that there was a lot of work he had to go through with his mother and the estate manager.

It would be nice to at least hear his voice.

When she arrived home she saw Liam standing at her door. "Now that´s a surprise. I was just about to call. How did you find out where I live?" she was a bit confused and didn´t know what to make of it that he had obviously followed her the evening before but if he wanted to harm her he had picked the wrong woman.

Seeing that she took on an offensive position Liam took his hands up: "I´m sorry, this must look really weird at you but be sure I don´t want to hurt you. I told you about being here on a client matter and what I have to confess is that I didn´t run into you accidently yesterday it was on purpose. My client wanted me to get to know you. Please take this envelope and read it. I will call you Sunday or Monday when you had time to get it all in." With that he handed Barbara a big manila envelope and went away.

Totally astonished Barbara went into her flat and after making herself a cup of coffee she opened the envelope.

 _ **A/N: Thanks for all the reviews so far, again only a short chapter but I pormise the chapters will get longer and we get there soon.**_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Tommy was having a quiet evening with his mother. To his surprise they were getting along well and after two days it looked like the estate manager was the right choice.

Tomorrow it would get louder as Judith had announced her arrival just two hours ago and he was really looking forward to long rides with his sister.

Now after dinner he was in a really good mood and sitting at the piano he played for his mother. She had been the one who had got him into it and it was one of the things he was grateful for as it always relaxed him and looking over to her now it looked like it relaxed her too.

It was nearly 11 pm and they had just decided to go to bed when they heard a knock on the front door.

Looking questionable at his mother Tommy got up and went to open the door.

"My God, Barbara! What happened? You look like you have seen a ghost. Did you drive the whole way down here alone in this state?" Tommy put his arm around his sergeant and closed the door behind her. She looked dreadful and totally confused shivering all over.

"I I I`m reee-aaa-llllly sorr-rrr-y, Sir! I don´t know what came to my mind, I should go back…."

"That is totally out of question!" a voice said behind them. Dorothy Lynley had followed his son into the hall and was as concerned as he was about Barbara turning up here in this state.

"Yes, mother. Could you ask Mrs. D to get a room ready for Barbara? I guess it would be best if she gets some sleep before we find out what all this is about." Tommy looked at his mother.

"No need for that. Judith´s room is already made. Bring Barbara up there and I go and get some tea." With that Dorothy went into the kitchen.

Tommy took Barbara up to the room and let her sit on the bed. "Okay, I just go down and get your bag, okay?" Grapping his hand Barbara looked totally shocked at him. "I don´t have one. I´m sorry but I didn´t know I was coming here when I started driving, I only wanted to clear my head and somehow I drove here. It was like being on autopilot somehow, I´m really sorry." She sank onto the bed not knowing what had come over her driving all the way down here.

"That is totally okay. Can you tell me what happened?" Tommy sat beside her. Looking at him she told him about meeting Liam and the nice evening they had. He tried to be as understandable as possible without showing the kind of jealousy he somehow felt.

"Then I took this afternoon off and there he was standing at my doorstep when I came home," Barbara continued. "He said that he didn´t met me by accident but on purpose, it was all really strange…"

Tommy held his breathe and putting his arm around her again he asked gently: "You don´t have to tell me but what did he do then? Did he hurt you?"

"Oh, no! It´s not like that! He gave me an envelope with some letters in it to read and said he would call me Sunday or Monday. Then he just left. I went in read one of the letters and still can´t understand what it means. I am totally confused, my whole world is just turned upside down with one letter." To her embarrassment she burst into tears.

In this moment Dorothy entered the room. "Here comes a nice cup of hot tea with a bit of Rum in it, I am sure that will help you go to sleep, Barbara. And I also brought you one of Judith´s old flannel pyjamas."

Taking the tea Barbara managed a small thank-you smile to Dorothy.

"Did you bring the letters?" Tommy asked cautiously. Barbara nodded. "Would you like me to read them and then after you have some good night´s sleep we can talk tomorrow in the morning?"

She nodded again giving him her bag she had clutched to herself until now.

Tommy took the bag and went to the window seat and took the manila envelope out and saw that two letters were in it. One was opened and so he started reading it while Dorothy helped Barbara changing into the pyjama and putting her to bed. Being totally exhausted Barbara was sleeping within minutes.

 _ **A/N: They are no real cliffhangers...:), it is interesting reading the reviews (thanks for them) as knowing where I want to go it all seems so obvious for me...okay now we come nearer to the point...**_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Tommy made himself comfortable in the window seat and took the opened letter, it was addressed to "My daughter Barbara"

He enfolded the letter and started reading:

 _My dear Barbara,_

 _When you get this letter I will be dead. I know it sounds weird but as the doctor just told me that I am in the early stages of dementia I have to write it all down now before I forget everything. I am also very sorry that you will have to deal with me and my illness and your father…_

 _Be assured that I really love you and I can only hope that you will not held my actions against me as I only had the best for you in mind and perhaps you can at least understand me a bit._

 _This story begins with the first holidays I ever took. I was young had a good job and was able to go on a two weeks holiday to St. Ives. It was the first time I was at the seaside and I just loved it. In the hotel I was in there was a nice young man who was accompanying his mother to recover from a bad pneumonia. As she retired always quite early each day we spent the evenings together, went dancing or were just walking along the beach. I felt free and young and carefree and so it happened. We spend my last night there together. I hope you will not judge me now, but it somehow just happened._

 _The next morning we parted in a friendly way as we both knew that it wouldn´t work out with us. I was a city girl and he came from a farm in Scotland. At least it was clear from my side. He gave me his address and said that if I would change my mind I should call him or just visit._

 _I had no intention to do so but I kept his address and a few weeks after I was home again I discovered that I was pregnant. I couldn´t tell my parents they would have gone frantic so I went to a good family friend and asked for advice. He listened and then said that he could help. First I thought he was talking about abortion but then he said that he would marry me and take care of me and my baby. He loved me for some time but didn´t thought I would think of him that way. He was right I hadn´t until then but looking at it in the situation I was in it was a sensible decision to accept his offer. So we married and you were born. My gratefulness changed to love over the years and when your brother was born there couldn´t have been a happier family. That really were good years until you brother got ill and died._

 _Our grief was too big and instead of growing closer together it drove us all apart. I guess our father although he loved you was wondering why it was Terry and not you, not that he ever said it but he sometimes looked that way. I was a mess myself with my grief and not able to give you the solace you needed. You tried to make me and your dad happy and proud joining the police and doing a wonderful job but somehow your dad never came out of his grief again._

 _Now coming back to the beginning, if you read this I am dead and your biological father knows about you. I wrote him a letter to be delivered to him after my death and put this letter with it. If he would like to get to know you I asked him to give it to you as I wanted to tell you myself but never found the courage to do it in person. I know I am a coward but I hope you believe me when I say that I love you more than you can imagine and that I am really proud of you._

 _Now I hope this will not turn in another disappointment for you and perhaps with some time you will get a bit of a family that deserves you because you are a wonderful special person my darling daughter._

 _I love you,_

 _Mom_

Tommy let the letter sink to his lap, he could now totally understand Barbara´s confused state and was in a way happy that she had come to him for support. He looked out in the darkness and thanked God that she had arrived safe at Howenstowe. Then looking over to the bed he noticed that his mother was still sitting at the bedside but was looking at him now.

He got up and went over to her. "This is really unbelievable, Mother. No wonder she was confused."

Making the decision to trust his mother he gave her the letter to read.

Dorothy read it and read it again. When she looked over to Tommy who had taking her place at the bedside she had tears in her eyes. "The poor girl! That is really a lot to cope with. Come Tommy let her sleep now and take her for a nice long walk tomorrow morning. Nothing better to clear the mind then walking our lovely coast looking out at the sea."

With that she ushered him out of the room and surprised him when she went over to Barbara again tucking her in and gently brushing a strand of hair out of her face. It made Tommy to remember that she had always done that for him and his siblings when they were little.

Taking his arm around her shoulders they left the room together.

 _ **A/N: Okay, here was the letter now and I hope it took some by surprise and I guess some knew it already. This story came to my mind when I re-watched "Well-schooled in murder" a few weeks ago:when Tommy collected Barbara at the hospital and also at the end when she got the message that her father had died, she said that they were never close and that made my think why...and now that´s my outcome. It will go on from here though...thanks for all the reviews so far!**_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When Barbara woke up the next morning she had to think about where she was. It was not her bed and when she opened her eyes she remembered that she was at Howenstowe.

All the events of the previous day came back to her: Liam, her mother, the letter and the totally unreal drive down here but her only thought had been that Tommy was the only one who could help her sorting out this mess her life had become in just one day.

Considering all this she had slept like a baby and felt better now. That was probably the result of the tea with Rum or as Barbara suspected Rum with tea Lady A had given her. When she sat up in bed the door opened.

"Oh good morning, Barbara, I hope you slept well." Dorothy Lynley entered the room with towels on her arm. "Nothing better than a good night´s sleep to clear the mind." She smiled over at Barbara.

"Good morning, Lady Asherton. And thanks I slept well thanks to the Rum I guess", Barbara smiled shyly at her DI´s mother.

Dorothy smiled back: "I thought you could do with some towels and a toothbrush. Everything else should be in the bath and I also brought you some of Judith´s clothes. The Jeans will be a bit long I guess but at least it is clean. Just put your own things in the basket in the bath and Mrs. Davies will see to it. Come down when you are ready. I think you could do with breakfast and then Tommy will be back from his ride. See you downstairs." And with that Dorothy left her alone again.

Taking it all in Barbara decided a shower and some teeth brushing couldn´t hurt.

* * *

Dressed in Judith´s clothes a jeans she had to roll up at the legs and a comfortable sweater she went down to the kitchen half an hour later.

"Ah, there you are, love! Coffee is just over there and your breakfast will be ready in a few moments. Just sit down, I will be with you in a minute." Was the warm greeting from Howenstowe´s long-time housekeeper Mrs Davies.

Barbara poured herself a coffee and sitting down noticed that she was really hungry. No wonder realizing that she last ate yesterday at noon.

So she was more than pleased when Mrs Davies put a full English breakfast in front of her.

She was enjoying her meal when the door opened and Tommy walked in. Just back from a ride he was still wearing his breeches, boots and a big woollen jumper looking more relaxed than he was.

The whole time during his ride he had thought about how Barbara would feel now and how he could approach her without sounding patronizing or feeling sorry for her as he knew she wouldn´t have both of these.

Seeing now that she was enjoying her breakfast made it easier for him. Getting himself a coffee too and sitting down opposite her he smiled when she looked up: "Good morning, Barbara. I hope you had a good night and as it looks everything´s okay with your appetite."

"Morning Sir. Thanks to your Mom´s "tea" I had a good night and seeing that I last ate yesterday at noon it´s no wonder. That is the only good thing, no matter how hard something hits me I never lose my appetite," she answered back with a smile, feeling grateful that he was starting their normal banter about her eating habits. That was at least still normal.

* * *

After Barbara had satisfied Mrs Davies with eating the whole breakfast and after a second cup of coffee Tommy took her for a walk along the coast line. It was sunny and nice warm so the shirt was okay for Barbara and Tommy took off his woollen jumper after walking for some time.

They had been walking in comfortable silence most of the way but when they reached the cliffs and were looking out over the sea Tommy started talking: "How do you feel, Barbara? That must have been some kind of a shock for you?"

Looking out at the gulls circling the sky over the water Barbara sighed: "Yes, it was. That was something I never guessed. And how I feel I don´t know…..in a way I can understand Mom but then I also feel anger about her not telling me earlier, I feel sad and lost and I would like to ask her so many questions now and I can´t do that anymore. Then there is anger that she put again all decisions to someone else than me but then I understand that she just wanted to protect me…it is all quite a mess, right?" Turning to Tommy she tried to smile but it didn´t reach her eyes.

Tommy´s first instinct was to go over and put her in his arms but knowing that she needed a friend at the moment more than a total fool declaring his love to her he only went over and put his arm around her shoulders as usual and said: "I guess this mixed feelings are totally normal and understandable. It is a lot to cope with and there will always be unanswered questions I guess. But it also gives you a new chance to find out about this part of yourself, of this part of your family….Have you read the other letter that was in the envelope?"

"No, I haven´t," Barbara confessed. "After reading Mom´s I was too muddled-up for more. I guess in my subconsciousness I knew where I wanted to drive as otherwise I hadn´t taken the letters with me. I knew that there was only one person who could help me get this sorted out." Now she managed another weak smile looking up at Tommy.

"I am glad you came here, Barbara. You have been there for me so many times I am more than happy that I can return that now. Seeing that you get the letter from your mom, I guess your birth father would like to meet you. How about walking back and you read his letter and then we see how we go on from there?" Tommy tried to sound as reassuring as possible. Taking another look out at the sea Barbara nodded and together they walked back to the house.

 _ **A/N: Again thanks for the reviews, it´s nice to read that you like it so far.**_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Back at the house they settled with a big pot of tea in the library and Barbara collected the letter from her room. Looking at it she suddenly felt afraid of reading it. "Would you open it and read it to me, Sir? I don´t know if I manage?"

"Sure, come over here, sit down. That is something to listen to not standing at the door." Tommy answered and when she sat on the sofa he sat down next to her took the letter and opened it. The first thing he noticed and what he positively valued was that it was handwritten.

Smiling encouraging at Barbara he started reading aloud:

 _Dear Barbara,_

 _I guess this will be one of the weirdest letters I will ever write and you will ever receive. First of all allow me to introduce myself: My name is Samuel Fraser and I live in Scotland, south of Edinburgh. I own a little woollen mill and some sheep._

 _I received the letter from your mother a month ago as she ordered her lawyer to send it to me two years after her death. She thought that you would be over your grieve then and hopefully more open to the news that you still have family. She had it all planned quite wisely from her point of view which I really admire._

 _I apologies for the way I approached you but I have never been in this situation before and there is no rule how to handle it the right way._

 _I remembered the time with your mother really well so I was sure that she was telling the truth but I had to be as sure as possible which I hope you can understand. When Liam sent the first pictures he made of you there was no doubt anymore that you are my daughter. You are the spitting image of my mother and you also have the family green eyes._

 _I hope you don´t mind but I would rather like to talk to you and get to know you in person now and not writing endless letters so I hope you will follow my invitation and visit me and my family…your family as soon as possible. Liam who is my son and therefore your half-brother will call you soon or you can call him anytime to arrange your visit. I am looking forward to getting to know you as I hope you will be curious too._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Sam Fraser_

 _PS: I hope this doesn´t sound too much like a business letter but as already said it is a weird situation for all of us._

* * *

Tommy finished reading and looked at Barbara. She was staring in the open fire in the fireplace. Slowly she started speaking: "Now I know what was so irritating…"

"What was irritating?" Tommy asked carefully not knowing what that meant.

Looking at Tommy now Barbara answered: "I was irritated when I first met Liam, he seemed familiar although I knew it wasn´t possible but now I know, it were his eyes. I was looking at my eyes….and didn´t notice…"

Putting his arm around her shoulder Tommy hugged her as he used to do from time to time but this time he took more time to do so and noticed that she relaxed more than normal.

"Okay, how about phoning Liam today and try to go up north during the next week? It shouldn´t be a problem to get the time off seeing I am on holiday too and I could also come with you…if you like," Tommy said.

Barbara gave a little sigh: "That would be great if you could come with me but don´t you have to be here and check the new estate manager? That is really important too, isn´t it?"

"It is important but Judith is going to be here later today and then she can check for me. If you don´t mind I want to be there for you. Although this Sam Fraser sounds nice I don´t want you to go there completely alone, you shouldn´t be alone…."

Now she smiled at Tommy: "Thanks, Sir. I would really appreciate your company to keep me straight and sane. So I am going to call Liam now and then see if we can arrange some date next week."

Tommy smiled back: "Sounds like a plan. I will tell mother now, I hope you don´t mind but I let her read your mother´s letter yesterday so she knows about it all…"

"I guessed that already seeing how she was this morning," Barbara answered being herself surprised how relaxed she took the fact that Lady Asherton knew it and she remembered something else: "Oh, and I should really move room now, seeing that I am still in Judith´s room. Mrs Davies said she would made the blue room ready for me. Can you please show me where the "blue room" is, Sir?"

This was so like Barbara making it sound as if Howenstowe was a maze of rooms Tommy laughed out loud: "Sure, sergeant! Come, we go move your things and then you can call Liam. And hurry up," he continued as he had heard the front door open and knew that Judith was about to burst in any minute now. Better to get everything done before meeting his sister and get side-tracked. They would all meet for dinner and hopefully they would have everything settled by then.

 _ **A/N: Thanks for all the nice reviews and pms. And sorry for the delay but real life and a nasty migraine slowed me down these last days, but luckily back to feeling good again now...**_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

After they had brought Barbara´s few things in the blue room which was just two rooms down the same floor Tommy left Barbara alone to talk to Liam. As they had decided that it would be easier for Barbara to talk to Liam alone Tommy would go down to his mother and sister and tell them about their plan and also to tell Judith the whole story so Barbara wouldn´t have to do so later herself.

He found them in the kitchen and after a big hello with hugs and kisses the three Lynleys sat down with more tea and talked it all through. Judith was as astonished as Tommy and his mother had been the evening before but she agreed completely with Tommy that Barbara shouldn´t go to Scotland alone.

"I will stay here and check everything with what´s his name, Matthew? We can manage, right Mother?"

"Sure we will. Tommy, why don´t you introduce Judith to Matthew now and get them both up to date? We can all meet for an early dinner then at 6 pm I would suggest. Then Barbara can tell us what this Liam had said and what they had agreed on."

Smiling at this mother and sister Tommy nodded: "I guess that would be the best, Mother. Come on, Jude! Let´s find Matthew and introduce you."

With that he and Judith left the kitchen.

* * *

After Barbara had finished the call with Liam she went down to see where everyone was. The call had been easier than she had imagined. Liam had been happy that she called and had apologised for his approach to her. She had convinced him that it was okay although it had been quite a shock to her and that she was with a good friend now who had helped her to make the decision to call.

So Liam had invited her on behalf of his father and they agreed that Barbara and Tommy would come up north on Monday so they had the next day, Sunday to go down to London and then up to Scotland the next day. Liam wanted to drive home later that day as the fair and also his task to get to know her was done. He gave her the address and said that he was looking forward to see her on Monday again then.

Now she was standing in the hall trying to figure out where she should look for Tommy first when she heard a low muttered cursing from the living room. Entering the room she saw Lady A sitting in front of a small coffee table looking concentrated at the pieces lying on it.

Going nearer Barbara noticed that it was a puzzle. Hearing the creaking floor boards Dorothy turned in her seat and smiled seeing Barbara standing behind her. "Oh, there you are, my dear. Hope the phone call wasn´t too difficult and awkward?"

Barbara smiled back: "No, thank you, it was okay. We, I mean the DI and I will go up to Scotland on Monday. I am really thankful that he is going to accompany me. I don´t know if I would make it alone."

"That´s what friends are for, Barbara. I think Tommy is happy to be there for you now as you have been for him so often these last years. Don´t deny it, I know that you have kept him straight and going after Helen died and also before. So let him give you something of this back. He is out with Judith and Matthew to hand everything over to Judith now and we agreed on having dinner at 6 pm tonight. It´s earlier than normal but I guess you two will be off to London tomorrow morning."

Being again positively surprised how well Lady A knew her son and also her Barbara got nearer looking at the table: "Yes, you are right, Lady Asherton. I will tell it all in more detail at dinner if you don´t mind. What are you doing here? A Puzzle?"

Looking at the table herself Dorothy nodded: "Yes, that is fine by me and again yes, it´s a puzzle. Believe it or not it relaxes me doing puzzles. Looking at the pieces and the good feeling when you find the right fitting ones….Come sit down and help me. It´s a challenge as I have never done such a big one with 3000 pieces before. It´s an antic world map. That is something else I like about puzzles, you can do them alone but also with company."

And that was how Tommy found them over an hour later together sitting over the puzzle in perfect harmony.

 _ **A/N: YAY, FF is working again so here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it..**_.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

On Sunday morning Barbara was driving home.

The evening before had been really nice. Over dinner she had told the three Lynleys about her telephone call with Liam. He and his father would expect her and Tommy on Monday afternoon so they made plans for the next day.

Barbara wanted to drive home early in the morning to get her bag packed and she also wanted to find some photos of her childhood which were somewhere hidden in one of the living room cupboards.

Seeing that they both had their cars at Howenstowe and to have the chance to at least one ride with Judith Tommy would drive back to London in the afternoon.

Then he would collect her on Monday morning for the drive up North.

Now being alone in the car she thought about how much she had enjoyed the last evening. They all had been very supportive and it felt like she was really welcomed by everyone in this big house.

When she left this morning she got a very big packed lunch and a thermos flask with hot coffee from Mrs. Davies. "You need to eat, love," the old woman told her with a big smile.

Now she was nearly in London already not much traffic on a Sunday morning.

* * *

Tommy and Judith saw Barbara off in the morning and then went for their ride. Tommy gave her some last instructions for the farm and the estate manager and he was more than thankful that his sister for once didn´t joked about his relationship with Barbara. Normally she liked to tease him but today she only said that he should look after her and see that she didn´t get hurt. That last bit sounded a bit ambiguous to his ears.

After lunch he also got ready for the drive and said goodbye to his mother and Judith.

Dorothy hugged her son: "Drive carefully, Tommy. And make sure Barbara is okay.''

"Thanks, Mother, will do. And let me know how it goes here." Was his response.

Then he hugged Judith: "Bye, Jude. Make sure everything goes right here. And if you have the time could you try and ride the new mare a bit. She is still a bit nervous, she needs more riding exercises."

"Sure, no problem. We will make it here. Drive carefully. Give my love to Barbara again. I want to hear everything when you two are back and I mean everything!" Judith said with a Siamese smile before he got in the car and drove away.

* * *

After arriving home Barbara first finished her packed lunch thanking Mrs. Davies in her mind knowing there wasn´t much in her fridge as always and then started packing her bag.

After that and too much coffee she started looking for the photos. After two hours she found them in the cupboard. Looking that them she smiled with tears in her eyes seeing Terry and herself as children. There were also a few of her with her parents, her mother and father, not real father….seeing that this would only made her think about it all more than was good for her at the moment she put the photos in her bag and then ordered some Chinese take away for dinner.

After that she would wait for Tommy to call and then taking a nice hot bath before going to bed.

* * *

Tommy arrived in London at 9 pm. He went into his house packed his bag and then called Barbara.

"Havers!"

"Lynley!" He mimicked her tone. "I see you arrived safe, Barbara. Have you got everything done you want to do?"

"Yes, sir! Everything is packed and ready. I assume you have arrived here too?"

"Yes, I have. It was a quite uneventful drive. I have also packed my bag already. What time do you think we should start tomorrow? Not too late, seeing it is Monday and there will be a lot of commuting traffic."

"That´s what I thought too. How about you collect me at 6.30 am? Would that be okay for you, Sir? I guess I won´t sleep much tonight anyway."

"Sounds like a plan, Barbara. I will be there at 6.30 then. You should try and get some sleep at least. It will be a long and I guess emotional day tomorrow. I am really glad that you let me join you."

"I am glad that you come with me, Sir. I don´t know if I could cope alone. And I think I will take a long hot bath now and then go to bed. Good night and see you in the morning."

"Good night Barbara and see you tomorrow." When Tommy ended the call he had to pull himself together not thinking too much about Barbara in a hot bath. She needed him as real friend at the moment and he needed a cold shower before going to bed.

 _ **A/N: Again thanks for the reviews and pms and as always for your patience :o).**_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Barbara woke at 2 am knowing that she wouldn´t be able to go to sleep again, there was too much going on in her head. She dressed and then re-packed her back thinking it would be better to take her official business suits than her normal street wear only to re-pack again with the compromise of taking one suit but otherwise her comfy wear as she would be herself. They should take her as she was and not what she pretended to be. She was a working class girl and nothing could change that.

Being now satisfied with her packing she started cleaning her flat. When she looked at her watch the next time it was 5 am and she would have the rare pleasure to come home to a clean and unusual tidy flat.

She made some coffee to take with her and some to drink directly and then watched the breakfast TV until Lynley arrived at 6.30 am sharp.

"Good morning, Barbara. Are you packed and ready?" Tommy asked taking her bag to carry ot to the car.

"Morning, Sir! And yes, packed and as ready as I can be I guess."

Looking at her Tommy noticed the fine lines under her eyes: "You haven´t slept properly, Barbara! Come on, perhaps you can get some sleep on the drive, it will take some time to get north."

Getting in the car Barbara grinned: "I am quite awake at the moment, so don´t you dare to listen to this classical radio channel the whole way."

Looking over Tommy grinned back: "Seatbelt, sergeant!" "Yes, sir!" Tommy started the car and smiled to himself about their usual banter and for sure the radio started with an overture by Mozart.

Barbara sighed and immediately searched for another channel that would suit them both.

As predicted the traffic was quite heavy around London and it took them some time to get out and to Tommy´s amusement Barbara was sound asleep when they hit the M6 north.

After driving for 4 hours Tommy stopped for a little break. He drank some coffee from Barbara´s thermos flask and watched her sleeping. He couldn´t imagine how he would feel in her situation now. It could be a good thing if her birth father was nice but he could also understand that she felt betrayed by her parents especially her mother.

He drove on for a bit and when Barbara finally woke up they decided to make a break in Carlisle to eat something. They hadn´t talked that much during the ride but it was a comfortable silence they both enjoyed. But when they had eaten and then went for a little walk around town to stretch their legs Barbara first talked too much and then suddenly went quite when they returned to the car.

"I guess you are nervous?" Tommy asked carefully while driving on.

Barbara looked at him: "Yes, Sir! I don´t know what to expect. I tried the whole time not to make pictures of him up in my mind so I won´t be disappointed but I know how Liam looks and wonder if his father looks like him. It is also weird that I have met him, talked to him not knowing that he was my half-brother…..this is all so weird and I hope it will not be a total disaster, I am so glad you came with me."

Again it made Tommy feel happy that she needed him too but there was something else he had to ask of her: "Barbara, I am glad to join you and be there for you but would you do me one favour? Could you manage and call me Tommy? I mean we work together for such a long time now and are much more than working partners. And how will it look to them if you call me "Sir" the whole time?"

That was something she had thought about too but hadn´t dared to just call him Tommy, it was one of the last barriers she was able to held up but now in this situation and as he asked her she would try it: "Okay, I guess it would really sound weird when I call you Sir, T…Tommy."

There she said it and it didn´t hurt and she was still alive. Tommy smiled broadly at her. "See, not that difficult at all, Barbara. Now we will also manage the rest of this trip."

And talking easily as always but also somehow different they drove on. They both felt that something had shifted in their relationship and it wasn´t a bad thing.

It was already 3.30 pm when they arrived at the address they had been given in Auchendinny. They got out of the car and went to the door. Taking Barbara´s hand and squeezing it reassuringly Tommy smiled at her: "Ready?"

Squeezing his hand in return and smiling back Barbara answered: "As ready as I can be."

Then she let go off his hand and rang the bell.

 _ **A/N: Okay at least we have arrived in Scotland now. Thanks again for the reviews, I really appreciate it that you take the time to read and review.**_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

After the a few minutes they rang the bell again and as still nothing happened they wondered if they were at the right address.

At that moment a Landrover dashed up behind the Bristol breaks squeaking. A young quite obvious pregnant woman jumped out coming over to them:

"Oh you´re already there. I am so sorry, Sam just rang me 30 minutes ago to tell me that he had to look after some sheep and as Liam and his mom are at a meeting in Edinburgh that I should come up to be here. Then half way up here the alarm on my mobile got off reminding me of the scones in the oven so I had to drive back to get them out and come back here."

Opening the door she let her two quite astonished visitors in.

"If you don´t mind to come through to the kitchen I make some tea and I also brought the scones, I am not completely scatterbrained, bugger I am for sure! Where are my manners, I am Mona Fraser, Liam´s wife, fully it´s Desdemona, don´t ask my parents love Shakespeare, but I can be happy seeing that my sister and brother are named Cressida and Demetrius. Oh, sorry I definitely talk too much."

Tommy noticing that Barbara felt a bit driven over answered: "No need to worry, we are just glad that we arrived at the right place, had us in doubt for a moment."

While talking Mona managed the tea and had Tommy and Barbara sit down at the big table in a comfortable country kitchen.

You are if you are Barbara and Tommy. Welcome to Scotland! And Liam was right, the eyes gives you away immediately Barbara." Smiling at Barbara Mona sat down too pouring tea.

"Yep, I guess that was what confused me about him when meeting him first, seeing something familiar which I couldn´t place at that moment." Barbara answered accepting the offered cup of tea.

"Oh, da…., I left the scones in the car, please excuse me a moment," Mona said getting up again, but Tommy was faster: "Is the car open, I get them then?" he asked.

"Oh that would be lovely, sure the car is open," and when Tommy had left she smiled at Barbara. "I am so sorry about this mess, Sam was furious that he had to leave but it was necessary due half of the sheep found their way through the fence somehow and I am not able to go up there at the moment." Mona said apologetically.

"Oh, yes obvious. How far are you…," Barbara trailed off wondering if that was a too personal question. Mona got the plates, cream and strawberry jam out and turned beaming at Barbara: "I just have three weeks to go, I know it didn´t look that far but it is. It is really exciting as we don't know if it will be a boy or a girl we didn´t want to know. As long as it is healthy everything is fine. And don´t worry about asking, in a weird way we are family. I hope I haven´t scared you off now."

Thinking about it Barbara shook her head as as weird as it was she somehow liked Mona in her outgoing way, she seemed to be the perfect lively counterpart to Liam who had been easy to talk to and friendly but also a bit more reserved than his wife.

Tommy came back with the scones and they were just getting on to the second one when a voice said from the backdoor: "There you are and already well taken care off as I can see."

 _ **A/N: Okay, I know it is quite some time that I started this one and I really wanted to finish my cross-over first, but plot bunnies can be funny creatures as they somehow got me back to this story now. I hope that they will continue coming and that both storie get on from now a bit faster. Thanks for your patience and still reading my stories!**_


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